Perception

I hope not many of you recognize who this old woman really is but I can't make my point unless I tell you.  Okay, it is a picture of me, Marilyn, the author of the book I've Always Been Rich.  One course I took in Seminary was on how we could better relate to and understand the older people we would be working with in our ministry.   The assignment given was to make ourselves look older (me, I was 60 so not much had to be changed) and see how people reacted when they saw me crossing a street, buying items in a store and other ordinary activities.  The picture shows how I choose to do this.  My husband went with me and we did the ordinary things we normally did but with a much disguised look.  I must admit I did not feel comfortable in with the "normal" people as they would stare, laugh, and deliberately talk about us.  I was glad when I could become a younger person again.  Their perception of me was not what I really was.

And that is an important lesson I learned the night we did this assignment.  Things are not always how they look.  I tried to develop that concept in my book by being very honest with myself and with the reader.  I do not want to portray something that I am not.  But just as importantly I do not want to  make judgment on others who I only know by what I see.  My appearance in the picture appears to be  that of someone who is physically compromised, has no dressing savvy and shouldn't be out at night anyway.   And that may be what I portrayed but was it true?  Did anyone attempt to assist me, did any one have a sincere smile for me, did anyone try to make a conversation with me?  NO!  I'm making a point with the picture above that this happens  only to those who have seen many years of living but again that is only a perception.  As I work as a Chaplain I see beauty, kindness, loneliness, sorrow, scruffy individual, all races and diverse ethnic background people,  people who smell and those who are too sick to care how they look.  I see wealthy and poor, , single and family people. incarcerated and free, Christian and pagan, yes, a microcosm of what the world looks like.  My perspective of some of them may be very skewed.  Their perception of me may be equally skewed.  They suspect I am there to lay a sermon on them for what they have done wrong.  However, I cannot come into the room worrying about what they perceive.  Because really I am not representing myself when I come in the door of their room but I am representing the Lord who has called me to this ministry and wants me to emanate the character of Jesus. Now I have to rely on prayer for every call because I do not feel worthy of representing Christ in that way but He has called me and I must, somehow, show that to the people I see. How is that done? I am humbled that Jesus has given me a love for all the diverse people I visit.  And if I don't portray love when I step in the door I might as well not even go further into the room.  They all understand love and, conversely, they understand disgust or callousness toward them.

The Bible is very definite about that, we ALL are created in God's image.  The term may be a little ambiguous to us but basically it means that we are to resemble God and be reflections of His glory.  Humankind are made in "God's image" and that characteristic makes the distinction between mankind and all  animals,   In Galatians 3:28 we read "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slaves or free, there is no male or female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. No matter what our perception of those we meet  they were all made by our Creator and are all in need of a Savior.  And just as importantly, no matter what  vocation , what education, what our backgrounds we are all to be imitators of Christ if we have truly accepted Him as our Lord and Savior.  Perception-a power o see what is not evident to the average mind.  By dressing like I did in the picture above I proved my perception of what I thought an older person was like. It was basically wrong.  I proved my own point, Now I hope you and I will take more time to not only perceive but to truly understand the people we meet every day, those behind a mask or those who reach out in need.

Marilyn Rensink   mjrevmo6@aol.com     Look for my name on google and read more about the book.  It is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com  God Bless you all.

I've Always Been Rich: Almighty Power

I've Always Been Rich: Almighty Power: The power of nature is awesome, frightful, unpleasant, beautiful, awful, shocking and much more.  This week we have been going th...

Almighty Power

The power of nature is awesome, frightful, unpleasant, beautiful, awful, shocking and much more.  This week we have been going through  pictures Wilmer and I took on our various trips.  The scenery is beyond beautiful on many of the pictures we looked at as well as the memories we have from actually seeing the sites in person.  The picture above is familiar to most of us as it is a picture of Niagara Falls.  While beautiful I cannot image the tremendous power  that water has.  The same is true when viewing pictures of an earthquake,  a tsunami, raging waters from too much rain, tornadoes, etc.  The power comes forcing all things in its path to be destroyed or removed from its previous location.   Houses topple, cars float away, people climb to safety in trees or roof tops, trees uproot and topple, all because the force of nature is so strong.  Like the Niagara Falls some forces are beautiful from our perspective.  Some forces are life threatening, some forces disrupt peoples lives for years, some forces take the lives of many people.  Is there really something  that can equal  the forces and power of nature? I believe the answer to that question is, yes.

As you read my book, "I've Always Been Rich" you will realize that I believe God has a power which each one of us as Christian's can latch onto and use.  Often we underestimate God's power.  I have done that many times as I struggle to fulfill life's challenges  and then think I have to do it all on my own strength. We have 6 children.  That is a daunting task in any era but I believe it is even more of a challenge in this present time when evil is so blatant and seems to be condoned by the world at large. Job security is an ongoing risk for many people and rightly so.  Family needs to be fed, clothed, educated and housed and that takes money.  So how do we "handle" such  meaningful and huge obligations and maintain our confidence and faith.

My book certainly doesn't have all the answers although I contend that there is really only one answer that applies to all situations and that is the power of God.  Sometimes I think that we as Christian aren't really aware of how much power God has bestowed on his followers.  I know I wasn't aware of that in my early Christian journey.  We pray, we sweat it out, we pray, we plan, we pray, we worry, we pray, we get ulcers.  What a cycle we put ourselves in.  Yes, I have been there many times.  We know about God's power but is that meant for me in the midst of the mundane issues of life? 

I have to start with an understanding of  the tremendous power that God truly has.  Do I acknowledge and accept that or do I think I have to "tweet" his answers with answers I think are just as good or better?  Can I truly give up my will and surrender to His will?  I believe the problem we often fall into is do I really think God is that powerful that He can really help me and even show me a better way than mine?  I want to share a few Bible verses that have helped me understand the power of God. Remember it will be more meaningful to you if you look up the verses previous to the one I will put down.  Mark 10:27  Looking to them, Jesus said, "With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."  Genesis 18:14  "Is anything too difficult for the Lord?"  Luke 1:37  "For nothing will be impossible with God."  Job 11:7  "Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?"  Genesis 1:1  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Psalm 147:4-5  He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of the their names, Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. God is powerful and he gives us His power as we walk with Him.  Acts1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you........Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  And finally 2 Timothy 1:7  For God gave us a sprit not of fear but of power and love and self control.

My life has been one of many changes.  I often feel like a rebel of sorts but a rebel for the Lord.  These verses have been a help in making unusual and mundane decisions about life's journey.  God gives the power and enabled me with Power to accomplish the task he called  me to.  The world may criticize  and scoff but they cannot overcome the power which God instills in each one of us.  And, the result will be as beautiful as the power of nature at  Niagara Falls. God bless you on your journey.

Hope you check this out in my book.  Marilyn Rensink   mjrevmom6@aol.com  Amazon, Barnes and Nobel and Christian bookstores make the books available to you.

Corn Field Comparison

Little did I know growing up on a small family farm that some day I would be sitting in the drivers seat of a machine like that one pictured above.  My husband and I farmed for 46 years and many changes were made in the machinery we used.  The equipment above shows the last combine that we used.  Quite a change from the machinery my Dad used on the farm that I grew up on.  In the last years of farming before retirement Wilmer, my husband, asked me if I would help with the harvesting. The request really was to haul the wagons from the field .  I thought it looked easier to run  the combine and he agreed I could try.  So I combined corn with the rig pictured above. 

Now I seldom was out in the corn field when it was dark.  But one night I had that opportunity and since I was a pastor by that time I was always looking for meaningful analogies.  The corn field was a perfect field for that.  As I combined the tall corn I could only see a short distance with the (head) light of the combine.  It only shone on the path I was to combine.  When I came to the end of  the row it was difficult to see where I had to turn to get to the right rows. It took some trust to turn correctly but, again, the light guided me.  Sometimes the field had a patch of weeds growing in with the corn.  It took concentration to stay on row so that when reaching the end of  the patch I was still on the right rows.  If there was a small dip or washout in the area I was combining care had to be taken so no damage was done to  the machine I was maneuvering.   I saw that corn  field as an analogy to how a Christian lives life.  Care must be  taken to stay on row and that is done by the light that shines on our pathway.  Without the light of Christ to guide us we quickly get off row.  When we must or want to make a change in our life we must be careful to let the light guide us and make decisions based on the light that is shining and directing us.  The patches of weeds - often in life we encounter temptations which can throw us off (row) the course we  committed to when we decided to follow Jesus.  It may not seem like such a big deal or serious problem at the time but it can totally make us wander from  our walk with the Lord.  The weed patch may not hinder the yield of the corn so much but it needs to be taken out so the corn can grow unhindered.  At night in the field out in the country I saw markers, lights of  the neighboring  farms. That reminded me of how we need markers to know where we are in our Christian walk.  We need to know where we are in relationship to  Christ. They act as mirrors or boundaries if you will.  I call them spiritual check points.  We need constant Bible reading, we need prayer, we need Christian friends or mentors to help us with accountability.  The lights in the field reminded me of those necessary structures and teaching elements.   If we get in a time of sickness or  hardship of some kind we need to stay close to the Lord so we focus on Him and let Him help us thru our difficult time. As we say in our church, "we don't fly alone".  God is always there to help us if we keep our focus on Him. 
My book, I've Always Been Rich, which I hope you read, fills our how these principles learned from the combine were a help in various circumstances I encountered in my life. I hope they will help you as you follow the path  God lays out for you.  It is challenging but so eternally rewarding.
Marilyn Rensink   email- mjrevmom6@aol.com  Books are available to Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com or Christian bookstores.  Google my name or book name for more information about  the book. 

I've Always Been Rich: Party Time

I've Always Been Rich: Party Time: Whether they are big parties or small parties it is  always fun to have a party.  In the picture above taken many years ago it was custom ...

Party Time

Whether they are big parties or small parties it is  always fun to have a party.  In the picture above taken many years ago it was custom in my, Marilyn's, family to celebrate every child and adult relative's birthday with a party.  It included many presents and a lot of good food.  And it was a good way for the cousins to get to know each other better and the adults to share in the lives of the other adults.  It was a way of keeping connected and sharing the parenting and farming activities which all the relatives were engaged in.  It brought the families together physically and emotionally.  I talk a little about such events in my book, I've Always Been Rich.   Such activities were necessary when life offered few other outlets to celebrate.  These were simple parties that satisfied  our basic needs at the time.  However, the kind of party I want to develop in this blog goes deeper and fills a much more significant  role in our life.
Recently I heard a speaker talk about how we as Christian have reason to celebrate, to have a party.  We are all made in God's image, we, who have received Christ as our Lord and Savior, have the joy of celebrating a continuing relationship with Him, we have the knowledge that He will be with us no matter our situation, we have the privilege of receiving GRACE from God, and we have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven.  Wow, that really gives us reason to celebrate. And these all are developed in the concept of Grace.
In order to fully develop  the concept of grace, which I promised in last week's blog, I will quote what Dr. David Jeremiah wrote in his book, Grace Givers.  Dr. Jeremiah assumes the reader will know the story of the prodigal son but for those who aren't acquainted with it, it is found in the gospel of Luke, the 11th chapter.  I quote, " Even the selfish calculating Prodigal cannot withstand the sight of his running, weeping father surrendering his high position to meet him at the edge of disgrace.  In that moment grace takes him captive, and he sees what his rebellious soul has not until now allowed him to see: the beauty of his father's love, the absolute value of his acceptance, the sweet joys of loyalty and obedience. As far as his conscience goes, no one need tell him the depth of the pain he has brought to his home.  He knows it now not simply with his mind but in the furthest depths of his heart.  The heart is broken, yet his soul is mended.  Such is the supernatural event of grace" unquote.  Key words which relate to God's love fully as much as  to the father of the prodigal: beauty of our father's (God) love, absolute value of His acceptance, sweet joys of loyalty and obedience.  God is waiting for us to come home and accept his unfathomable love - His Grace.
We have cause to party, we have cause to celebrate, we have cause to share this joy with others, when we accept His love and obey His will for our life. God's love was so massive that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay  the penalty for our sins. When the prodigal came home and the father received him, the immediate reaction was to throw a party for his lost but found son.  They celebrated.  A ring was put on his son's finger, a robe was given to replace his soiled and tattered garments, the fatted calf was butchered to feed those who came to celebrate with them and they had a party.  The ultimate party will be when Jesus comes again and we go with Him to celebrate the great wedding feast with Him in glory.  GRACE!
Marilyn Rensink    email  mjrevmo6@aol.com  Books available at Amazon.com  BarnesandNoble.com and your local Christian bookstore.

I've Always Been Rich: Looking back-reaching forward

I've Always Been Rich: Looking back-reaching forward: A New Year causes us to reminisce about the past. The church in the picture brings back many memories.  I, Marilyn, was baptized there, le...

Looking back-reaching forward

A New Year causes us to reminisce about the past. The church in the picture brings back many memories.  I, Marilyn, was baptized there, learned the catechism (Bible) lessons there, was married there.  It holds memories dear to me. As you recall what lies behind you, you will find joyous memories, difficult memories, decisions which you wish you could do over, blessings which linger in your mind, relationships which could have been nurtured better, etc. Good and not so good memories make up who we are today and shape the way we see ourselves and others.  It is not wrong to learn from the past  and relive the good.  In my book, I've Always Been Rich, I reflect on the ways my past shaped my future.  Godly parents, healthy children, loving husband, God's blessings, always having enough of this world's goods to give me a satisfied disposition.  In the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible, God often recalls for the children of Israel how they goofed up (mistake, blunder, got into trouble) and how they were suffering now because of it.  The whole issue of GRACE had not been instituted yet because Jesus Christ had not yet come to live on this earth and to die for us to bring  about the whole covenant of Grace. I will explain that in more detail next week.  Since Christ came into the world we can confidentially say as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13, "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us"  New Living Translation.  Paul took courage in that.  God does not hold us to the past, in fact, he forgets the past and encourages us to look to what lies ahead and strive for the prize He has set before us.  That is freeing.  We don't have to carry the weight of the past but can start anew always striving to win the prize which God has called us to.  Sometimes that is not a comfortable feeling because we wander into the unknown. It is easier to look into the rear view mirror and see where we have been. I challenge you that it may be out of your comfort zone, out of where you think your abilities and talents are but it is totally worth it.  Forget the butterflies which suddenly invade your stomach, God's grace and power are far superior to those butterflies and He will give you what your need.  This year, 2017, will have it's trying moments but with the hope and the help of God it can be one of the best ones you have ever experienced. God's blessing to you  and yours in the New Year.
As always, if you want to email me, please do.  Address is mjrevmom6@aol.com.  Books to buy are at Amazon.com, Barnes andNoble.com or your local Christian bookstore.